“Star Wars” and Studio Ghibli team up for a Disney+ short film: when you can see Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies

A few days ago, Studio Ghibli posted a teaser video on Twitter showing both its and Lucasfilm’s logos, as well as a photo of a Grogu action figure. Here’s what you can see on Disney+.

Now we know what those posts suggest. Apparently the two companies worked together to create a hand-drawn short film by Studio Ghibli. It’s titled “Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies”, starring The Mandalorian’s beloved alien child with a strong affinity for the Force and “susuwatari” from Hayao Miyazaki’s animated films My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away.

Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies, on Disney+

pic.twitter.com/RZ74q04w7J

– スタジオジブリ STUDIO GHIBLI (@JP_GHIBLI) November 10, 2022

According to IGN, the short was directed by Katsuya Kondo, who is known for his character design work and a style that is closely related to Studio Ghibli films. It also includes music by Ludwig Göransson, who composed the scores for the last two seasons of The Mandalorian. Zen – Grogu and the Dust Bunnies is available for streaming on November 12 on Disney+, exactly three years after The Mandalorian debuted.

Discover Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies, a hand-drawn animation by Studio Ghibli, is streaming tomorrow on #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/ODqHrgIwnB

– Disney+ (@DisneyPlus) November 12, 2022

Grogu will return and be reunited with “Mando” in the third season of The Mandalorian, after leaving to train at Luke’s Jedi Temple until the end of the second season. Disney gave fans a glimpse of what they can expect when the series returns sometime next year in a trailer released during the company’s D23 show in September.

Grogu, or Baby Yoda, first appeared in The Mandalorian and has taken the galaxy by storm ever since. Dust bunnies, on the other hand, appear in Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbour Totoro and Spirited Away. In Japanese, they are known as susuwatari or wandering soot.